Or they could work on policies that reward significant improvement throughout the year. A rough start can be just that. Mandating that everything is at least 50%, even when a student gets a 0%, is a terrible idea.
Really, I have no problem with a "lousy start" policy of some sort, but to guarantee 50% while other students are giving and earning 100% annoys me to no end. How about simply this, guarantee that all quizzes and tests can be made up after hours (before/after class) that were taken in the first half of the semester for a maximum score of 80% of the total points awarded (gotta at least give a small late bloomer penalty)? Higher of the 2 scores will apply. Thoughts there?
Cool, now if I'm really good in that subject (math comes to mind), I can just skip the entire first half of each semester and still get a B in the class!
Ever taken a math class... generally you can't skip the first half (fundamentals) and pass the second half (more advanced stuff). And while that might not motivate students to "be your best!", if the student is smart enough to pull that off... well I guess being smart does have benefits!
In my high school, there was a kid in the class that graduated the year before my class came in as freshman who only showed up to classes for quizes and tests all four years. He graduated with a B or B- average.
After he graduated and it was brought to the attention of parents and school administrators, a new rule was put in place that any student absent from a class more than a certain number of days during the year (I think it was 20 or so) for any reason could (at the discretion of the teacher) be failed.
In my high school, there was a kid in the class that graduated the year before my class came in as freshman who only showed up to classes for quizes and tests all four years. He graduated with a B or B- average.
That's not an example of a school failing to challenge a student. That's an example of a lazy student. Maybe he's a smart slacker, but at the end of the day, he's still just a slacker. What the hell does it matter if he's smart if he won't apply himself?
That's not an example of a school failing to challenge a student. That's an example of a lazy student. Maybe he's a smart slacker, but at the end of the day, he's still just a slacker. What the hell does it matter if he's smart if he won't apply himself?
Depends on what the student is doing when not at school, of course.
If he's off writing software (or a novel), or doing original research, everyone involved is far better off with him not being there.
Even when young, there are more things in life than school,
Like anything else, college is what you make of it. A decent state university, even without a big name, provides a fine education if one takes advantage of what it has to offer; one just needs to be more on top of things by way of networking than would necessarily be the case elsewhere.
(I speak from experience, having gone to one of the better schools in the CSU system -- while another school I was considering certainly had more big-name appeal, faculty at the CSU school deigned to give me the time of day when touring as a prospective student; my decision was made between that and economic factors, and I've not regretted it once).
SO? how can you not regret it if you didn't go to the other school, your school fails logic.
I could regret it if I saw things I was missing out on in life because I didn't have those contacts. I don't. (As an aside, your school fails grammar).
Contacts from school got me my first job working next door to big-name kernel hackers Paul Mundt and Robert Love. Sure, I had to do some work to get to know the right people to make those contacts -- where at a more prestigious school they might have come free with the
Disobedience: The silver lining to the cloud of servitude.
-- Ambrose Bierce
Or more reasonable policies (Score:5, Insightful)
Or they could work on policies that reward significant improvement throughout the year. A rough start can be just that. Mandating that everything is at least 50%, even when a student gets a 0%, is a terrible idea.
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Cool, now if I'm really good in that subject (math comes to mind), I can just skip the entire first half of each semester and still get a B in the class!
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In my high school, there was a kid in the class that graduated the year before my class came in as freshman who only showed up to classes for quizes and tests all four years. He graduated with a B or B- average.
After he graduated and it was brought to the attention of parents and school administrators, a new rule was put in place that any student absent from a class more than a certain number of days during the year (I think it was 20 or so) for any reason could (at the discretion of the teacher) be failed.
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That's not an example of a school failing to challenge a student. That's an example of a lazy student. Maybe he's a smart slacker, but at the end of the day, he's still just a slacker. What the hell does it matter if he's smart if he won't apply himself?
As Edison said, genius is 1% inspiration and 9
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Depends on what the student is doing when not at school, of course.
If he's off writing software (or a novel), or doing original research, everyone involved is far better off with him not being there.
Even when young, there are more things in life than school,
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Sadly - given that he had only a B - which college given his potential would have taken him ? MIT ? Caltech ? Berkley ? I think not.
Re:Or more reasonable policies (Score:4, Insightful)
Like anything else, college is what you make of it. A decent state university, even without a big name, provides a fine education if one takes advantage of what it has to offer; one just needs to be more on top of things by way of networking than would necessarily be the case elsewhere.
(I speak from experience, having gone to one of the better schools in the CSU system -- while another school I was considering certainly had more big-name appeal, faculty at the CSU school deigned to give me the time of day when touring as a prospective student; my decision was made between that and economic factors, and I've not regretted it once).
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"and I've not regretted it once"
SO? how can you not regret it if you didn't go to the other school, your school fails logic.
That said, the reason to go to widly known schools is for contacts to be used later in your career.
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Where did you go? I'm a California State University Long Beach alum.
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I could regret it if I saw things I was missing out on in life because I didn't have those contacts. I don't. (As an aside, your school fails grammar).
Contacts from school got me my first job working next door to big-name kernel hackers Paul Mundt and Robert Love. Sure, I had to do some work to get to know the right people to make those contacts -- where at a more prestigious school they might have come free with the